SLAIN GIRL'S MOM WINS COURT BID

What Roger and Gayle Pfiel knew about their troubled son Steven soon may be revealed to attorneys representing a woman suing the couple, whose son murdered her daughter.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hogan ruled in a closed session Thursday that attorneys for the Pfiels must turn over certain portions of Steven Pfiel's school records to the mother of Hillary Norskog by next week.

The judge ordered that sections of the records, including those involving Steven's "mental health treatment," could not be reviewed by Marsha Norskog's attorneys until each side had had a chance to argue its case about those portions, according to lawyers for both sides. Those arguments will take place before the judge on June 14.

Steven Pfiel, 19, pleaded guilty last year to stabbing Hillary, 13, of southwest suburban Palos Hills, in July 1993, with the hunting knife his parents gave him as a gift. He was using the car his parents let him drive. Pfiel's parents got him out of jail by posting the required $100,000 of his $1 million bond.

In March 1995, while free on bond, Pfiel beat, slashed and killed his brother, Roger, 19. He pleaded guilty to both murders in exchange for the state not pursuing the death penalty, and he is now in prison.

Hillary Norskog's mother, Marsha, who since has moved to Chicago, filed suit in July 1995 against Pfiel's parents, alleging they "had specific and actual knowledge of Steven Pfiel's increasingly anti-social (and) criminal behavior."

The Pfiels' gross negligence paved the way for Hillary's violent death, according to the suit.

Attorneys for the Pfiels say that no parent can monitor a child 24 hours a day and that the couple had no way of predicting their son would kill anyone--not a member of someone else's family, nor a member of their own.

The judge prohibited attorneys from revealing information contained in the school records, which the Pfiels' attorneys argue is protected by privacy laws, particularly segments about mental health treatment.

Hogan also denied a motion by Steven Pfiel's attorney, Raymond Pijon, to quash the plaintiff's request for access to school records. Hogan also ordered the Pfiels to respond in writing to Norskog's request for information on all contacts the family had with police agencies.

Norskog's attorneys, who have not seen the school records, said the fact the judge ruled they could see some of the documents is a victory.

They contend the Pfiels knew their son had trouble with violence, alcohol and drugs, school and the police when they left him alone in a home with firearms and provided him with the weapon and vehicle he used in Hillary's murder.

"The issue is what the parents knew about Steven, and that's what we're looking for," said Michael King, who represents Norskog. "The court has already looked at the records and said they're relevant, so I assume there's something useful in there."

Before the hearing, Michael Borders, an attorney for the Pfiels, said releasing confidential school records could have "a chilling effect." What is recorded in school documents, such as discussions with clergy, should be based on the assumption of privacy, he said.

But Norskog's attorneys say if the records show Steven engaged in disruptive behavior and his parents were notified by the school or sought professional help for him, that goes to the heart of their case.

The suit contends that about July 1, 1993, Steven's parents gave him a hunting knife with a 5 1/4-inch blade for his 17th birthday.

Two weeks before Hillary's death, the Pfiels paid Steven's bond when he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana, underage drinking and having open alcohol in the family car, the suit adds.

In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Steven's parents helped him move or cover up evidence after Hillary's murder.

During the three days in July 1993 before Hillary's body was found, her mother called the Pfiel home asking if they knew where Hillary was. She had last been seen leaving a party with Steven Pfiel.